dogs in paintings

Where better to show off canine advantages than in the chef d'ouevres of the old masters, and new masters for that matter. Throughout the centuries dogs have modelled for artists. They take centre stage but also quite happily figure in the background in well known and also less known masterpieces. Due to copyright we cannot display the paintings, but we have provided direct links to the excellent museums all over the world where the paintings are being exhibited and often discussed in details. To see one of these masterpieces, and perhaps more importandly, the dog, please click on the name of  the museum or gallery and when you are on their site type the artist's name and/or the title into the search box. (The examples are grouped into centuries starting with the 15th century).